Read part 1 here

After answering all my questions, the doctor informed me about all the tests they have booked for me, including the appointment with the Reproduction department to check if I’m healthy enough to do the IVF procedure. My “next week” calendar (week 17) was quickly filled with appointments. I asked doctor if I should tell my employer about the situation, she advised me to wait until I have received a more concrete treatment plan. However, appointments at hospital was gonna eat up so much time of my week, I had to tell my manager what “I’m (secretly) holding on with” 😂

I didn’t have any appointment on Monday week 17, so I still went to work and tried to live a normal day. It was quite nice as the day had enough “actions” to keep my mind a break from thinking about my “new life” all the time. It’s kind of weird (or totally normal? I don’t know) when you’re diagnosed with cancer, you’re immediately overloaded with thoughts. It’s like all the thoughts are competing with each other to have a place in your mind. I was normally not able to “finish” with one thought before another one suddenly came. So my mind was full of unfinished thoughts 💭 Of course many of the thoughts were totally new, maybe I will write another post about this and how I organised all the thoughts and got control over my mind again 😏

Anyways, below are all the tests I have taken during my diagnostic process. I’m not trying to write a thriller story here, so I can reveal now that I did read a lot of information about each test. And I have to say information always sounds more scary than how the procedure actually is. But should you read so much info? I don’t know. At least for me it helped because I know what is waiting for me and kind of “mentally prepare” for it.

CT and MRI scan

I was lucky to get the appointments for both CT and MR scan on the same day, Tuesday 23rd April 2024. I said “lucky” because for both scans, I have to be injected with the contrast material (contrast medium). By having both on the same day, I just needed to have the intravenous line (IV) once.

You can find more information about CT and MRI scans on the official website of your country’s health authority. These scans are used to image different parts of the body for various purposes. In my case, the CT scan is being used to check if the cancer has spread to organs like the liver or lungs, while the MRI is being used to determine the exact size of the tumor, as mammography and ultrasound didn’t provide a clear image.

The CT scan was scheduled for 13:00, but I had to arrive at 11:00 for preparation. Part of the prep involved drinking about 1 liter of water over the course of one hour. After that, I was instructed not to use the toilet for at least 45 minutes before the scan. They gave me a detailed instruction sheet outlining exactly how much water to drink and the specific times I could go to the bathroom. When it was 30 minutes before the scan, a nurse called me in and put the IV on me.

The CT scan self took not so long, around 5 – 10 minutes. I can keep all my clothes on, even the Apple Watch. I laid on my back. They did it both with and without the contrast material. During the scan, I was instructed to hold my breath, breathe in, breathe out several times. The machine moved me back and forward, I guess to take picture of my different organs. The technician who did the procedure gave me quite detailed information about how I could feel when the contrast material comes inside me, including I may feel like I’m peeing (but I’m not).

Honestly, the contrast material wasn’t as uncomfortable as they warned. Any “discomfort” I did feel disappeared as soon as they stopped administering it. The sensation was like an internal burning, almost as if I could cast a fireball like a mage in a fantasy series! 😁 When the warmth reached lower down, it wasn’t too bad either—I did feel an urge to pee, but it was nothing compared to those long bus rides on school trips. 😅

Since I had an MRI scan scheduled for 18:00 on the same day, I went back to work and returned to the hospital around 17:30. I still had the IV from the earlier CT scan, so there was no additional preparation required for the MRI. The nurse called me in around 17:50. This time, I had to remove all my clothing except my underwear and put on a hospital gown. They provided a locker for my valuables since I had to remove all metal items.

I was then led to the room with the MRI machine. Since they needed to image my breasts, I had to lie on my stomach with my arms raised above my head. There were two openings where I had to place my breasts. Many people find MRI scans uncomfortable or even frightening because of the noise, but I’m not one of them. Although I don’t find the noise bothersome, I agreed to wear headphones with music since it was my first MRI. Honestly, they didn’t help much, but as I mentioned, I could tolerate the noise.

The entire procedure took about 20 minutes. It’s crucial to stay as still as possible, but lying still for 20 minutes in an unusual position can be challenging. That’s why they gave me an alarm button to press if I needed to stop or take a break. The technician communicated with me through the headphones, frequently checking if I was okay. They also used contrast material like they did in the morning for the CT scan. This time, I knew what to expect, so the warm sensation was no surprise. 20 minutes passed by quicker than it sounded 🫶

Bone scan (skeletal scintigraphy)

The day after, Wednesday 24th April, I had an appointment with the reproduction department for IVF procedure, but I will write about the whole egg freezing process in another post. Then Thursday 25th April, I had appointment for bone scan. This is for determining if the cancer has spread to my bone.

The scan took place at 12:00 o’clock but I have to meet up at the hospital at 09:00 o’clock. This is because I needed to take a radioactive tracer injection it takes 2 to 3 hours for the tracer to go around the body (and will leave my body gradually through urine over the next day). I was told to drink a lot of water after the injection.

I decided to stay at the hospital during the waiting time as it would be stressful for me to go home and come back. I took with me the laptop and managed to work a little bit, although hospital is not an ideal office 😹 Time passed by quite quick, I grasped a quick lunch at the canteen and met up for my appointment.

To have the scan, I was asked to lie down on a “couch”, on my back. I kept all my clothes and shoes on. The technician “tied” my foot with some tape to keep my foot at needed position. The scan took around an hour I guess. There was no noise, I was just lying there, the couch I laid on didn’t move but there was a machine over my body moving slowly from my head to toe. It was too quiet and I did fall to sleep. The technician had to wake me up as I suddenly changed my position during… my dream 😴

Echocardiogram

Monday 29th April, I had appointment for an echocardiogram. This is to check if my heart is healthy enough for the medicine I’m gonna get. This is nothing special than a normal heart check with ultrasound. The procedure was quick, painless, no injection and I could go home right after finishing.

Genetic test (BRCA gene test)

On April 30th, I had an appointment with a doctor who is in her specialising process. The main purpose of the appointment was to inform me about the journey ahead: my treatment plan, the support available to me, the potential side effects to expect, and more. The doctor also provided me with a folder containing a wealth of information, including details she had discussed with me and additional resources.

The results from the scans and tests I had undergone were not yet available, but I was scheduled to meet with my primary oncologist the following week, where I expected to receive more accurate information about my diagnosis and treatment plan.

During this appointment, I was offered a genetic test to assess my risk for breast and ovarian cancer, which I agreed to. The test was done the same day through a simple blood draw.

Up until this moment, I hadn’t received any concrete information about my diagnosis or treatment plan, which made me quite nervous. However, since I had already started the process of freezing my eggs and hadn’t completed it yet, I couldn’t begin any treatment anyway.

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and I won’t give any medical advice. All I share on this blog is simply my personal experiences based on the treatment plan which was made specifically for me. However, if there is any topic you want me to share more about, please comment below 👇